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Biography & Autobiography. History. Juvenile Nonfiction. Sociology. HTML: Award-winning author Duncan Tonatiuh brings to life the story of a Mexican-American war hero Jos� de la Luz S�enz (1888�1953)�or Luz�believed in fighting for what was right. Although he was born in the United States, he and his family experienced prejudice because of their Mexican heritage. When World War I broke out, Luz volunteered to join the fight. Because of his ability to quickly learn languages, he became part of the Intelligence Office in Europe. However, despite his hard work and intellect, Luz often didn't receive credit for his contributions. Upon his return to the US, he joined other Mexican-Americans whom he had met in the army to fight for equality. His contribution, along with others, ultimately led to the creation of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), which is the oldest Latino civil rights organization. Soldier for Equality is based in part on Luz's diary during the war. It includes a biography of Luz's later years, an author's note, a timeline, a bibliography, and an index..… (more)
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When World War I broke out, Luz volunteered to join the fight for the U.S., the country of his birth - his country. He also felt a desire “to demonstrate that Mexican Americans loved America and would give their lives fighting for it.” Tonatiuh adds, quoting from Luz’s diary, “After they see the sacrifices we are willing to make, the people who mistreat us will start treating us fairly - con igualdad y justicia.”
Alas, this didn’t happen, and Luz was tormented by his fellow soldiers. Nor did he receive recognition for his contributions to the war. Because of his language skills, Luz served in the Intelligence Section, translating documents from Spanish and French into English. In spite of the value of his work, he was twice denied entry into officer training school with no explanation and remained a private throughout the war.
When he returned home to Texas, he discovered that things had not improved for people of Mexican origin after the war as he had hoped they would:
“Mexican American children were still being sent to separate and inferior schools. Business still had signs that said NO MEXICANS ALLOWED.”
Luz and other war veterans unhappy with their treatment after the war decided to organize Mexican Americans to fight for civil rights. On February 17, 1919, Luz co-founded the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). He also wrote articles and gave speeches to fight against racism and prejudice. Tonatiuh concludes:
“Luz had proudly fought with the United States Army in Europe for the ideals of democracy and justice. Now he fought on the home front in Texas for those same ideas: democracia y justicia. He fought for equality. Igualdad."
The book concludes with an Author’s Note, timeline, and a bibliography.
Tonatiuh, who is an award-winning illustrator, creates gorgeous folkloric art work, inspired by Mixtec (native Mexican) codices from the 14th century. He juxtaposes the indigenous style with modern characters and settings. He also uses the pictures to enlarge upon the text. Because the illustrations also tell the story without words, they serves to extend the recommended age range of this book (age 6 and up).
Evaluation: As usual, Tonatiuh combines meticulous research with outstanding art to bring attention to history that should be better known.